Dummy for teaching artificial insufflation

Abstract

A dummy for teaching mouth-to-mouth and mouth-to-nose resuscitation, has a head shaped to generally correspond to a human head; simulated mouth and nose openings; and a trunk connected to the head by a neck. The trunk has a hollow part simulating the human thorax. The trunk defines an air-tight, self-supporting container which simulates the human torso and lungs. The container has an oblong cross-sectional configuration at least in the zone of the thorax and is connected with the mouth and nose openings by means of a conduit simulating the human windpipe. The trunk wall is resilient at least in the zone of the thorax to undergo outwardly directed elastic deformations by the pressure of insufflated air for effecting changes in the volume of the container in response to insufflation and simulate the movement of the human thorax. The volume of the container is so chosen relative to its resilient properties that the insufflation of the same air volume to be insufflated into the lungs of a human being during correctly performed mouth-to-mouth and mouth-to-nose resuscitation generates the same pressure in the container as in the human lungs. Similarly when insufflation is terminated, the insufflated air, due to the resilient properties of the trunk wall, is forced out of the container which returns to its undeformed shape, thereby simulating the expiration and movement of the human thorax. Thus, the container wall has a resistance to insufflation through either of the openings that is comparable to a corresponding resistance of human lungs and further, the container simulates the movements of a human thorax during mouth-to-mouth and mouth-to-nose resuscitation.

What I claim is: 
     
       1. In a dummy for teaching mouth-to-mouth and mouth-to-nose resuscitation, including a head shaped to generally correspond to a human head; means defining simulated mouth and nose openings; a neck; a trunk connected to the head by the neck and having a wall defining a hollow trunk part which is in the shape of a human torso including the thorax; receptacle means defining, in the thorax, an enclosed space simulating the human lung; a conduit simulating a human windpipe and being connected to the mouth and nose openings and the receptacle means; the receptacle means having a resistance to insufflation through either of the openings that is comparable to a corresponding resistance of human lungs; the receptacle means being deformable for simulating the movements of a human thorax during mouth-to-mouth and nose-to-mouth resuscitation; the improvement wherein said receptacle means is an air-tight, self-supporting container constituted by the wall of said trunk; said container having an oblong cross-sectional configuration at least in the zone of the thorax; the trunk wall being resilient at least in the zone of the thorax to undergo outwardly directed elastic deformation by the pressure of insufflated air for effecting changes in the volume of the container in response to insufflation; the volume of the container being so chosen in relation to its resilient properties that the insufflation of the same air volume to be insufflated into the lungs of a human being during correctly performed mouth-to-mouth and mouth-to-nose resuscitation generates the same pressure in said container as in the human lungs. 
     
     
       2. A dummy as defined in claim 1, wherein the portion of the container corresponding to the thorax has a substantially ellipsoidal cross-sectional shape. 
     
     
       3. A dummy as defined in claim 1, wherein the portion of the container corresponding to the thorax has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape. 
     
     
       4. A dummy as defined in claim 1, wherein the portion of the container corresponding to the thorax has a cross-sectional shape intermediary between ellipsoidal and rectangular. 
     
     
       5. A dummy as defined in claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the portion of the container corresponding to the thorax has anatomically motivated local deviations from a generally oblong cross-sectional shape. 
     
     
       6. A dummy as defined in claim 17, wherein the container has such a volume that the pneumatic compliance of the air volume enclosed by the container is at the most about 60% of the average lung compliance of a given group of patients represented by the dummy. 
     
     
       7. A dummy as defined in claim 6, wherein for simulating the thorax movement and lung elasticity of an unconscious adult person weighing about 70 kg, the volume content of the container is at the most about 25 - 30 l. 
     
     
       8. A dummy as defined in claim 6, wherein for simulating the thorax movement and lung elasticity of an unconscious child, the volume content of the container is at the most about 2 - 10 l depending on the age of the child. 
     
     
       9. A dummy as defined in claim 1, wherein the portion of the container corresponding to the thorax has a width-to-height ratio between 1.25 and 2.5. 
     
     
       10. A dummy as defined in claim 9, wherein said ratio is between 1.5 and 2.0. 
     
     
       11. A dummy as defined in claim 1, wherein portions of the container situated further down from the portion corresponding to the thorax are substantially resistant to deformation by internal pressure generated by insufflation. 
     
     
       12. A dummy as defined in claim 11, wherein the deformation-resistant container portion has a substantially circular cross-sectional shape. 
     
     
       13. A dummy as defined in claim 11, wherein the deformation-resistant container portion has a greater wall thickness than the thorax portion. 
     
     
       14. A dummy as defined in claim 11, wherein the deformation-resistant container portion has a stiffer material than the thorax portion. 
     
     
       15. A dummy as defined in claim 1, wherein the resistance of the container to depression at the anatomically correct pressure point for external heart massage corresponds to the resistance to depression offered by a human body when external heart massage is correctly performed. 
     
     
       16. A dummy as defined in claim 15, wherein the container wall is substantially plane in the zone of the correct pressure point for heart massage. 
     
     
       17. A dummy as defined in claim 15, wherein the container wall is substantially convex in the zone of the correct pressure point for heart massage, the container wall further has an inward deformation extending longitudinally of the thorax through the correct pressure point for heart massage for balancing stresses that appear upon depression of the container wall.